To rinse, or not to rinse.
Based on consumption in Taiwan and production of tea in Taiwan...the majority of 'Taiwanese tea' cannot be Taiwanese!
I second that, if I buy tea here it is usually about quality and corresponding price along with a preferred flavour profile. Origin, cultivar etc. do matter little. I do not have exact numbers, but from personal consumption observation, my guess is that the majority of imported, blended teas goes to the ever prevalent drink shops on every corner. The rest to the touristy locations to rip off the guests. And some for customers who are looking for cheap tea!Tillerman wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:31 amWell - this has certainly veered away from the rinse/don't rinse origin of this thread but... Bok and tealifehk, how prevalent do you believe the counterfeiting issue is and does it matter in any event. Many, but certainly not all, Taiwanese vendors with whom I have spoken seem more concerned with quality levels and appropriate pricing of their teas rather than it's provenance e.g. if you are willing to pay NT X per jin you receive quality level 1, if you are willing to pay NT Y per jin you receive quality level 2 etc. The origin of the tea is not a question of particular importance to them. I would love to hear your thoughts.
High profile teas which command high prices might also be affected, but I believe at a certain price level people know what they are drinking and it is less common. Buying tea in Taiwan is a lot about trust and being a longstanding customer, best with introductions. A spontaneous teashop visit will more likely result in being offered the fake stuff.
We dug out an article a while ago which stated that 70% of tea in Taiwan is imported.
But I do not see the overall consumption of high end tea very large, it still is a niche as it is in the west. Less so, but still, serious tea drinkers are rare.
I agree. As I have said elsewhere, buying tea in Taiwan is easy; buying really good tea is difficult - and expensive.Bok wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:03 amI second that, if I buy tea here it is usually about quality and corresponding price along with a preferred flavour profile. Origin, cultivar etc. do matter little. I do not have exact numbers, but from personal consumption observation, my guess is that the majority of imported, blended teas goes to the ever prevalent drink shops on every corner. The rest to the touristy locations to rip off the guests. And some for customers who are looking for cheap tea!Tillerman wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:31 amWell - this has certainly veered away from the rinse/don't rinse origin of this thread but... Bok and tealifehk, how prevalent do you believe the counterfeiting issue is and does it matter in any event. Many, but certainly not all, Taiwanese vendors with whom I have spoken seem more concerned with quality levels and appropriate pricing of their teas rather than it's provenance e.g. if you are willing to pay NT X per jin you receive quality level 1, if you are willing to pay NT Y per jin you receive quality level 2 etc. The origin of the tea is not a question of particular importance to them. I would love to hear your thoughts.
High profile teas which command high prices might also be affected, but I believe at a certain price level people know what they are drinking and it is less common. Buying tea in Taiwan is a lot about trust and being a longstanding customer, best with introductions. A spontaneous teashop visit will more likely result in being offered the fake stuff.
We dug out an article a while ago which stated that 70% of tea in Taiwan is imported.
But I do not see the overall consumption of high end tea very large, it still is a niche as it is in the west. Less so, but still, serious tea drinkers are rare.
The 70% imported figure is interesting - I hadn't thought it to be that high. I know that exports are at around 12% but growing slowly.
I mostly only rinse puerh, and probably only rinse a tea when I prepare gong fu - it would surely be a pain to rinse tea brewed grandpa/western style as that would probably be a major exercise in itself requiring additional teaware.
I am finding this conversation very interesting. Gaoshan is what I drink the most of. These comment make me appreciate our HY Chen connection even more. Being that Gaoshan has such a distinct flavor that I’ve never tasted elsewhere, how do they fake it?Tillerman wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:09 pmI agree. As I have said elsewhere, buying tea in Taiwan is easy; buying really good tea is difficult - and expensive.Bok wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:03 amI second that, if I buy tea here it is usually about quality and corresponding price along with a preferred flavour profile. Origin, cultivar etc. do matter little. I do not have exact numbers, but from personal consumption observation, my guess is that the majority of imported, blended teas goes to the ever prevalent drink shops on every corner. The rest to the touristy locations to rip off the guests. And some for customers who are looking for cheap tea!Tillerman wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:31 amWell - this has certainly veered away from the rinse/don't rinse origin of this thread but... Bok and tealifehk, how prevalent do you believe the counterfeiting issue is and does it matter in any event. Many, but certainly not all, Taiwanese vendors with whom I have spoken seem more concerned with quality levels and appropriate pricing of their teas rather than it's provenance e.g. if you are willing to pay NT X per jin you receive quality level 1, if you are willing to pay NT Y per jin you receive quality level 2 etc. The origin of the tea is not a question of particular importance to them. I would love to hear your thoughts.
High profile teas which command high prices might also be affected, but I believe at a certain price level people know what they are drinking and it is less common. Buying tea in Taiwan is a lot about trust and being a longstanding customer, best with introductions. A spontaneous teashop visit will more likely result in being offered the fake stuff.
We dug out an article a while ago which stated that 70% of tea in Taiwan is imported.
But I do not see the overall consumption of high end tea very large, it still is a niche as it is in the west. Less so, but still, serious tea drinkers are rare.
The 70% imported figure is interesting - I hadn't thought it to be that high. I know that exports are at around 12% but growing slowly.
It is grown at altitude by Taiwanese investors in Thailand, Vietnam and increasingly Yunnan (from where it goes to Vietnam for importation to Taiwan - imports of Chinese tea - except puer - are forbidden in Taiwan.) If you want to ensure that you are getting true Taiwanese tea, you need to deal with those who have established relationships with growers and producers in Taiwan - and going direct is NO assurance that you will get the tea you desire. I will immodestly suggest my own site Tillermantea.net as one such source, Another source that I respect highly is Taiwanteacrafts.com.Brent D wrote: ↑Sun Dec 17, 2017 2:22 pmI am finding this conversation very interesting. Gaoshan is what I drink the most of. These comment make me appreciate our HY Chen connection even more. Being that Gaoshan has such a distinct flavor that I’ve never tasted elsewhere, how do they fake it?Tillerman wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:09 pmI agree. As I have said elsewhere, buying tea in Taiwan is easy; buying really good tea is difficult - and expensive.Bok wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:03 am
I second that, if I buy tea here it is usually about quality and corresponding price along with a preferred flavour profile. Origin, cultivar etc. do matter little. I do not have exact numbers, but from personal consumption observation, my guess is that the majority of imported, blended teas goes to the ever prevalent drink shops on every corner. The rest to the touristy locations to rip off the guests. And some for customers who are looking for cheap tea!
High profile teas which command high prices might also be affected, but I believe at a certain price level people know what they are drinking and it is less common. Buying tea in Taiwan is a lot about trust and being a longstanding customer, best with introductions. A spontaneous teashop visit will more likely result in being offered the fake stuff.
We dug out an article a while ago which stated that 70% of tea in Taiwan is imported.
But I do not see the overall consumption of high end tea very large, it still is a niche as it is in the west. Less so, but still, serious tea drinkers are rare.
The 70% imported figure is interesting - I hadn't thought it to be that high. I know that exports are at around 12% but growing slowly.
I still rinse puerh but stopped rinsing oolong in 2011 as a (perhaps neurotic) response to the severe drought we were experiencing.
Prior to this, I rinsed oolongs to “wake” them, as I had been instructed by my teacher, but learned that it was unnecessary if I adapted my temperature and steeping time. The pot will tell you when it is ready. If you look at the leaves with the lid removed, they will tell you also when the tea is ready for the first pour.
As mentioned above, I am concerned about wasting water and have evolved from a wet pour style to a dry (or less wet) pour style. I have not noticed a difference in flavor between rinsing and not rinsing.
Regarding pesticides: I doubt much is rinsed away. I wouldn’t rinse with the intention of ridding the tea of pesticides. I have turned down tea that smelled like the carrier agent for Tempo EC. It is an unmistakable smell that might go well with tea. It reminds me of spiced orange. I have encountered this only in gaoshancha, btw.
Prior to this, I rinsed oolongs to “wake” them, as I had been instructed by my teacher, but learned that it was unnecessary if I adapted my temperature and steeping time. The pot will tell you when it is ready. If you look at the leaves with the lid removed, they will tell you also when the tea is ready for the first pour.
As mentioned above, I am concerned about wasting water and have evolved from a wet pour style to a dry (or less wet) pour style. I have not noticed a difference in flavor between rinsing and not rinsing.
Regarding pesticides: I doubt much is rinsed away. I wouldn’t rinse with the intention of ridding the tea of pesticides. I have turned down tea that smelled like the carrier agent for Tempo EC. It is an unmistakable smell that might go well with tea. It reminds me of spiced orange. I have encountered this only in gaoshancha, btw.
https://edrugsearch.com/pesticides-in-tea/
If the big names are doing it, then dealing with smaller farm produce is a total crapshoot...
If the big names are doing it, then dealing with smaller farm produce is a total crapshoot...